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The Stormy 60’s
Sexual revolution
Civil Rights struggles
Anti-war protests
Assassinations of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy
Feminist revolution
Youth culture
JFK and Cabinet • Youngest president establishes
youngest cabinet
• Attorney General = Robert “Bobby” Kennedy– Biggest opponent = J. Edgar
Hoover, FBI director
– Why
– Bobby begins to have FBI investigate organized crime
– Bobby wants FBI to start getting involved in Civil Rights
• Defense Department= Robert McNamara
ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
JFK and the “New Frontier”
• Abroad • Peace Corps- an army
of idealistic and mostly youthful volunteers to bring American skills to underdeveloped countries
New Frontier at Home
• In congress- Southern Demos threaten to team up with Reps, shut down any New Frontier Deals (medical assistance for old, and federal aid to education)
• Expands house rules committee
• But bills remain stalled in congress
New Frontier at Home• Economy• Restore economy after
Eisenhower recessions• However, almost immediately
into his term, steel managementannounced great price increases, igniting the fury of the president, but JFK also heard fiery attacks by big business against the New Frontier.
• People worried about free enterprise quit complaining when JFK slashes taxes
New Frontier at Home• Space program• Multi billion dollar project
to get to the moon• Tells public, show that we
can rise to challenges and expand human possibilities
• In reality- wants to get up on USSR in space race (Sputnik)
• 1969- Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, land on the moon
Rumblings in Europe • 1961- FDR meets
Khrushchev • Khrush makes threats on
cutting Western Access to Berlin, JFK won’t be bullied
• Berlin wall constructed in 1961
• Done to stop East Berliners from going to west
• Stands for 3 decades• West calls it the Wall of
Shame
Western Europe• What makes it prosper
– 1. Marshall Plan– 2. European Economic
Community (EEC), foundation of European Union
• Trade Expansion Act 1962– Cuts tariffs by as much as
50% in EEC countries (Common Market)
• Led to Kennedy Round of tariff negotiations- even better trade with W. Euro
• Beginnings of globalization
The Vietnam Quagmire• New Strategy = “flexible response”
• Develop an array of military options that can be matched with the gravity of the situation
• Increased military spending
• Green Berets
• Problem with flexible response
– Could mean less diplomacy, and more force
– Steps of use of force
• Vietnam demonstrates these
problems
The Vietnam Quagmire• Corrupt, pro-US government
in South Vietnam. Diem• Communists in the south,
Viet-Cong, waging guerrilla civil war.
• Late 1961 Kennedy sharply increases US military advisors.
• 1963- US coup ousts Diem • Ironic- US was supposed to
ensure political stability, instead caused instability
Our Southern Neighbors • Latin American starts to
resent US• 1961 Alliance For
Progress- basically Marshall plan for Latin America
• Shorten income gap between Latin American and US, thus quiet communists agitation
• Poor results- too little too late
Cuban Confrontations
• During Eisenhower, US makes plans to topple Castro, JFK continues on with them
• CIA plans to topple government, with help of anti- Castro rebels
• Bay of Pigs Invasion = huge failure
Cuban Confrontations • BofP and assassination
attempts on Castro force him into Soviet hands
• 1962- US spy planes finds out USSR is installing nuclear tipped missile in Cuba (90 miles away)
Cuban Confrontations
• USSR- missiles are to stop US in Cuba, and blackmail US into backing down in Berlin and elsewhere
• 1962- JFK naval quarantine on Cuba, attack from Cuba would result in nuclear retaliation against USSR
• “Nuclear Chicken”
Cuban Confrontations
• The whole world watches on edge
• Compromise- Soviets pull missiles out of Cuba, US promises not to invade Cuba
• US secretly removed weapons from Turkey, which were aimed at Soviets
Results of the Cuban Missile Crisis • Khrushchev forced out of power• Kremlin begins an aggressive program
of military expansion; New Arms Race• Democrats gain in the midterm
elections.• Kennedy begins to push for arms
control and greater communications between Russia and the US.– Hotline– Ban on above-ground nuclear tests
agreed to in 1963• Kennedy urges Americans to live with
the Soviets as they are and find a method of peaceful coexistence. – Origins of the policy of Détente.
JFK and civil rights • JFK promised to end racial
discrimination in house “with a stroke of the pen”
• Very slow in acting• Ink for Jack protests- civil
rights groups send him pens
• JFK hesitate because has little control over congress, and needs southern Democrats to support economic and social legislation (education and medical)
CRM in 1960’s
• JFK and Robert worried that MLK advisors could have communists ties, wiretap King’s phone
• Otherwise JFK and MLK have strong relationship
CRM 1960’s• 1963- Birmingham Alabama, most segregated big city
• Blacks = 50% of population, but only 15% of voters
• 1975- 1963- “Bombingham” 50 cross burnings and 18 bomb attacks
• Much opposition police use, fire hoses, attack dogs, electric cattle prods
• All is seen on TV
CRM 1960’s
• JFK, doesn’t turn blind eye like Eisenhower, makes speech advocating new civil rights legislation
• August 63, MLK marches on Washington, with 200,000 in support of new legislation
Death of JFK • Nov 22 1963- JFK is shot is assassinated in Dallas by Lee
Harvey Oswald • Days later, Jack Ruby kills Lee Harvey Oswald • Bizarre events trigger investigation known as the Warren
Commission
Death of JFK
• JFK selected Lyndon B. Johnson to appease southern Democrats
• Lot of tension between “the Harvards” and Southern Dems
• LBJ one of last people to know about death of JFK
LBJ before presidency
• Early career, big fan of FDR• 1941 Senate race (TX) LBJ
realizes liberals don’t win down south
• Turns conservative • Very in your face style,
known as “Johnson Treatment”
LBJ’ Great Society • Civil Rights Act 1964
– Prohibits discrimination in facilities open to the public– Strengthened power to end segregation in schools– Created federal Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission– Prevents both race and gender discrimination.
(Affirmative Action)– Southern Senators try to kill with a lengthy filibuster
• Johnson launches a war on poverty designed to help those not yet getting the benefits of America’s vast wealth. – Dubbed the Great Society Program.– Medicare/Medicaid central pillar
Election of 1964
• Demos- LBJ• Republicans nominate
Senator Barry Goldwater – very, very conservative. – Strongly anti-red, strongly
anti-New Deal.– Believes in small national
government (Jeffersonian)– Wanted American field
commanders to have authority to use tactical nukes in the battle field
Election of 1964• Democrats play up image that
Goldwater is trigger happy • Tonkin Gulf Episode- US
secretly has ships patrolling N. Vietnam, S. Vietnam shoots down US ships
• LBJ response- “limited” retaliatory raid- thus making Goldwater look the opposite
• Daisy Commercial • Tonkin Gulf Resolution-gives
president unlimited authority to defend US forces and members of SEATO
Election of 1964
Great Society Congress • Demos majorities in both houses,
conservative Southerners see writing on the wall
• Congress pushes mass legislation, sim to 100 days
• Continues War on Poverty- EEOC gets 2 billion, 1 billion to Trans App area.
• Created the Dept. of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.– Names the first Black cabinet secretary
—Robert Weaver• Creates national Endowment for the arts.
Great Society Congress• 4 landmarks of legislation • Four legislative achievements at heart
of Great Society:– Federal Aid to Education– Medicare for the Elderly/Medicaid for the
Poor– Immigration Reform– Voting Rights Act
• Medicare and Medicaid provide medical insurance at governmental expense for elderly and poor
• Medicare and Medicaid join social security and unemployment insurance as part of social safety net.
• M and M based on entitlements, part of “rights” revolution, helps out millions of Americans, but hurts Federal Government’s financial health
Immigration and Nationality Act
• Abolishes quota system
• Doubles number of Immigrants allowed
• 1st time set limits on immigration from Western Hemisphere
• Family Unification clause
Black Power
• VRA of 65 marks end of nonviolent demonstrations
• Focus on integrating blacks into society
• 5 days later Watt Riots occur in LA
• Watts Riot mark a new more militant phase in Civil Rights movement, now sometimes aimed at black separatism
Black Power• New ldrs mock MLK• Malcolm X- Nation of
Islam, black separatism• Black Panther Party
(militant) forms in Oakland • Stokely Carmichael begins
preaching black power– To some, it meant that
African American should exercise new political and economic gains, speed up integration
– To others- separatists message, complete rejection of white culture
LBJ and Communism
• Viet Cong bombs American base in S. Vietnam
• Orders retaliatory bombing raids (1st time) known as Operation Rolling Thunder
• Felt step by step escalation of American forces would drive Viet Cong back
LBJ and Communism
• South Vietnam are guests of own war,
• America forces take more control, while South V. goes through corrupt governments
• 1968- LBJ puts another half million troops, and war budget exceeds 30 billion
America looking bad
• World opinion getting worse on US
• Several countries expel American Peace Corps
• Charles De Gaulle withdraws France from NATO (66) ordered all US troops out of his country
Domestic Problems of War
• Anti war feelings increased in US
• Protests start on college campuses “teach-ins”
• Burn draft cards, head to Canada
• “Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids have you killed today”
Domestic Problems of War
• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations- headed by William Fulbright
• Televised hearings• American public
beginning to feel duped about causes and winability of war
Domestic Problems of War
• Defense Sec. McNamara- “we were wrong, terribly wrong”
• Public questioning motives, loss of American life, excessive bomb dropping
• LBJ uses CIA to spy on antiwar protestors, FBI uses counter intelligence (cointelpro)
• Despite problems, LBJ continues to slowly escalate war
Vietnam slowly killing LBJ
• Tet Offensive- Viet Cong makes huge coordinated push
• While US pushes offensive back, Tet Offensive convince American public that LBJ’s strategy won’t work
Vietnam slowly killing LBJ• Military leaders request
200,000 more troops• 1968 Democratic
Convention– Eugene McCarthy
– Robert F. Kennedy
– Both threaten LBJ
• LBJ goes on TV, freeze troop levels, reduce bombing, and shocked everybody stating he will not run for president
Election of 1968
• Democratic Convention of 68 in Chicago
• Mayor Richard Daley- barb wired barricades, brings and national guards
• Hubert Humphrey wins, but Democratic party looks very disorganized
Election of 1968
• Republicans- Richard Nixon, appeasing to conservatives and moderates
• Call for a victory in Vietnam, strong anti-crime policy
• American Independent Party
• George C Wallace• “Segregation now,
Segregation tomorrow, Segregation forever”
Election of 1968• Nixon and Humphrey have similar policies on VN. No real choice between the
two.– As a result, many sat out the election because no standard-bearer for their views.
• Nixon wins by half a percentage point without carrying a single major city and • Both houses of Congress remain Democratic. Democrats win 95% of the black
vote. • Nixon wins only 43% of the vote because Wallace had siphoned off votes from
both. • Wallace wins 46 electoral votes from the deep south. Largest third-party electoral
vote in American history.
Legacy of LBJ
• Dies 4 years after election
• Biggest mover and shaker in terms of civil rights and helping poor
• Vietnam often overshadows domestic programs
How is it possible that all these people could be so ungrateful to me after I had given them so much? I tried to make it possible for every child of every color to grow up in a nice house, to eat a solid breakfast, to attend a decent school, and to get a good and lasting job. I asked so
little in return. Just a little thanks. Just a little appreciation. That's all.-LBJ-Interview 1967